surprise for her prince.

'Gareth will be a knight to-day,' she thought. 'I will send our
dwarf to him with a noble war-horse and armour fit for a knight.
Surely he will begin his adventures the more gladly, that I help to
send him forth,' she murmured, thinking half-regretfully of the
long year she had made him spend in the kitchen.

And Gareth was glad when he saw his mother's gift; and when he had
put on the armour, there was no more handsome knight in all King
Arthur's court than Sir Gareth. He mounted his horse, and, telling
the dwarf to follow, rode quickly after Lynette.

But Gareth had not gone far, when he heard shouts behind him, and,
turning, he saw that Sir Kay was riding after him.

'If it is possible, I will bring my kitchen-boy boy back again,'
thought Sir Kay, 'for he works well.' 'Have you forgotten that I am
your master?' he shouted, as he reached Gareth.

'You are no longer my master,' said Gareth, 'and I know that you
are the most unkind of all Arthur's knights.'

Then Sir Kay was so angry that he drew his sword, and Gareth drew
his and struck Sir Kay so hard a blow, that he tumbled off his
horse, and lay on the ground as if he were dead. Then Gareth took
away his old master's sword and shield, and telling the dwarf to
take Sir Kay's horse, he once more hurried on to reach Lynette.

Both Lancelot and Lynette had seen Sir Gareth fight with Sir Kay,
for the King had asked Sir Lancelot to ride on before Gareth, that
he might know if his new knight could use his sword.

When Lancelot had seen Sir Kay fall to the ground, he rode back to
the court to tell King Arthur that his knight, Sir Gareth, was
strong and true. And he sent men to bring home the wounded Sir Kay.

Now Lynette was more cross than ever because Lancelot had left her,
and when Gareth at last rode up to her, she cried rudely, 'You are
only a kitchen-knave. Your clothes smell of cooking, and your dress
is soiled with grease and tallow. Ride further off from me.'

But what she said was not true, for Gareth had put on the beautiful
armour his mother had sent him.

As Lynette mocked, Gareth rode quietly behind. In spite of her
unkindness, he was happy. After the long days spent in the hot
kitchen, the forest breeze seemed to touch him more gently than in
the old days, and the trees seemed to him more beautiful. But
though the streams seemed more clear, they still called to him,
just as the streams in his own mountains used to do.